If you were rummaging through your parents’ kitchen drawers and stumbled upon a wooden handle with two rotating metal wheels at either end, you might be confused. It doesn’t look like a standard pizza cutter or a vegetable peeler. This “strange” tool is actually a Dual-Wheel Pastry and Ravioli Cutter.
Common in mid-century kitchens, this tool was a “recipe” for efficiency before modern electric pasta makers became household staples. Here is everything you need to know about what it is and how to use it today.
Anatomy of a Classic Pastry Cutter
This tool was designed with two distinct purposes in mind, evidenced by its two different wheels:
- The Straight Wheel: One end typically features a smooth, straight-edged wheel used for cutting clean lines in dough for pie crusts or lattice work.
- The Fluted Wheel: The other end features a scalloped or “zigzag” wheel. This is used specifically to create the decorative, crimped edges on ravioli or crackers.
- The Ergonomic Handle: The central wooden handle allowed the user to apply even pressure with one hand while guiding the wheel with the other.
